Category: Tutorials: Sewing Basics

These are primarily non-doll-related sewing tutorials. For example: how to backstitch; how to sew snaps; etc…

The text at the top of this image says "10 ways to use ribbons with doll clothes" and under the text, is an image of a variety of ribbon spools in a number of different sizes and colors.
Crafts and Hobbies, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

Here are 10 ways to use ribbons when sewing doll clothes…

When I did a recent search for photos of doll clothes with ribbons, here on my website, I discovered that I have uploaded 240 images in the website’s archives, showing the many ways you can apply ribbons to doll clothes. Holy smokes! I’ve sifted through those archived photos and done a quick study of them. And here, in some semblance of order, are the top … Continue reading Here are 10 ways to use ribbons when sewing doll clothes…

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Within a quilted frame, we see a stitched-style title that says "Doll Clothes Collars" and three different images of dolls wearing doll clothes with collars. On the far left is a baby doll in a plaid suit with his little white shirt having a pressed collar; in the middle is an 18 inch doll wearing a dress with a jacket that has a pretty pink collar, and on the right is a Ken doll wearing a Hawaiian shirt with a collar. In the lower left is the ChellyWood.com logo.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

5 Tips for Making Doll Clothes Collars

For the most faithful Chelly Wood website readers out there, this is a re-posting of a blog post from about a year ago. The topic is still relevant of course, and I welcome everyone’s comments and suggestions in the discussion area at the bottom of the post! Nobody wants their doll’s collar to stick up all willie-nillie, right? Of course not! So here, all in … Continue reading 5 Tips for Making Doll Clothes Collars

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The image shows a pretty little doll's skirt with a ruffle. The skirt is made of white cotton with blue, red, yellow, and pink flowers printed on the fabric. The text reads, "how to attach a ruffle".
Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls

How to sew a ruffle on a doll’s skirt or dress… It’s EASY!

  People who are just learning to sew will sometimes take one look at a pattern that has a ruffle, and think, “I can’t make that. A ruffle looks too hard!” But it’s not hard! In today’s one-minute #Shorts video, you’ll see that the steps to making a ruffle are relatively easy. It may also help to view one or more of these tutorial videos … Continue reading How to sew a ruffle on a doll’s skirt or dress… It’s EASY!

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Here we see a close-up of a Mattel Barbie's face. She's wearing a pillbox hat, made of felt, which was sewn using the Simplicity 7601 doll clothes pattern. This lovely Barbie has pale pink lipstick, what might be considered an olive complexion or perhaps a Mediterranean complexion, light brown eyes, and blond, curly hair. The pillbox hat rests gently over her curls, and the felt the hat is made from is a pale purple, almost lilac color. The hat is tipped slightly over her right eye. The coat she wears is barely seen in the image, but it too, is made of the lilac felt. The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in the lower left corner.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Uncategorized

The benefits of sewing with felt when making doll clothes #SewEasy #DollClothesPatterns

As far as fabrics go, felt is relatively cheap, it’s available in most people’s stashes, and it’s easy to sew by hand or on a sewing machine. But is it okay to use for doll clothes? That’s what today’s blog post is going to address. I really love felt for making doll coats and hats, as you can see in previous blog posts I’ve written … Continue reading The benefits of sewing with felt when making doll clothes #SewEasy #DollClothesPatterns

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The image shows a quilted frame surrounding a photo of the McCall's doll clothes pattern number 5462 for Barbie and other 11 inch fashion dolls. An arrow points from the view G pattern for a T-shirt to a modern Barbie wearing a cropped-front tee shirt with side slits. The text above these images says, "T-shirt alteration." The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in the lower right corner of the image.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

How to Alter a T-shirt Pattern, to Make a Crop Top w/McCall’s Crafts 5462 Doll Clothes Patterns #DollClothes #SewingPatterns

Before I begin today’s blog post, let me say that I’m definitely feeling better. I’ve been sick with West Nile Virus, which is why my blog posts for my website had been put on “back burner” for a while. But I want to reach out to all of you who have kept me in your prayers… Thank you so much! Your comments on my website … Continue reading How to Alter a T-shirt Pattern, to Make a Crop Top w/McCall’s Crafts 5462 Doll Clothes Patterns #DollClothes #SewingPatterns

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On a turquoise blue cotton background, we read the words "how to use a needle threader" and beneath these are images of a needle and a traditional tin threader. In the lower left corner is the ChellyWood.com logo.
Crafts and Hobbies, Tutorials: Crafts, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

How to use a needle threader for hand-sewing doll clothes projects @DritzSewing #DollClothesPatterns #SewingTips

In spite of the tiny sewing machine that often appears in my doll clothes tutorial videos, I actually sew a lot of my doll clothes by hand. I find that hand stitching gives you greater control when sewing tiny items. If you’re ever struggling with a sleeve or zipper attachment, I recommend switching from your sewing machine to sewing by hand. It may actually save … Continue reading How to use a needle threader for hand-sewing doll clothes projects @DritzSewing #DollClothesPatterns #SewingTips

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Chelly's Books, Crafts and Hobbies, Favorite Books, Greenbrier Dolls, Tutorials: Crafts, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls

What is rickrack trim? And how do you use it? @ChellyWood.com #dollclothes #sewingproject

  Today’s tutorial video shows you how to use rickrack trim, like the trim shown at the bottom of the dress below: Today’s tutorial video is actually a re-post. To learn why I’m doing so many re-posts on my website, revisit the blog post called, “There’s a CAT in my Sewing Room!” While I’m gone, feel free to look over some of the basic sewing … Continue reading What is rickrack trim? And how do you use it? @ChellyWood.com #dollclothes #sewingproject

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The image shows the Difficulty Scale for Chelly's flowers. These are purple flowers with turquoise blue center. Lowest on the difficulty scale is a single flower. The most difficult projects have five flowers.
Interviews With Crafters, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

Helpful Tips and FAQ’s for People Who Love to Sew for Dolls #DollClothes #SewingTips

The following information is also found on my “Frequently Asked Questions” page (i.e. FAQ’s). You may have noticed that my difficulty scale’s flowers have changed colors over time. You can tell how old my patterns are by the colors of the flowers on them. Now this doesn’t seem related, but actually it is… My oldest daughter graduated from Idaho State University recently with a college … Continue reading Helpful Tips and FAQ’s for People Who Love to Sew for Dolls #DollClothes #SewingTips

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The image shows a close up of the McCall's 9449 small baby and toddler doll pattern published in 1968. This image was part of a vintage pattern discussion on the ChellyWood.com website on Martin Luther King Day, in January of 2023. The patterns were shown to fit modern-day baby alive dolls.
Baby Doll Patterns, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

What is a yoke in sewing terms? #LearningToSew #DollClothesPatterns

Almost exactly one month ago, for Martin Luther King Day, I posted a blog post about this McCall’s 9449 doll clothes sewing pattern. In that blog post, I talked about how rare it is to find vintage patterns with representation of African American dolls on the envelope’s cover art. Well, it’s now February, and here in the US, we celebrate February as our Black History … Continue reading What is a yoke in sewing terms? #LearningToSew #DollClothesPatterns

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Surrounded by a turquoise blue cotton frame, we see a photo of a Skipper doll in a very short Easter dress. The words "free pattern" appear above her at an angle, and beside her is the Chelly Wood dot com logo.
10-inch doll clothes patterns, Daily Patterns, Skipper Patterns, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls, Whole Costumes for Dolls

Let’s sew a super easy Easter dress for Skipper w/today’s free PDF sewing patterns @ ChellyWood.com #EasterCrafts #DollClothesPatterns

  For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. Easter isn’t until April 9th, in 2023, but as you may have learned at Christmas time, it’s always a good idea to get your seasonal sewing projects done way ahead of time! So today’s tutorial video — which is actually a remastered video from quite some time ago … Continue reading Let’s sew a super easy Easter dress for Skipper w/today’s free PDF sewing patterns @ ChellyWood.com #EasterCrafts #DollClothesPatterns

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Inside a purple cotton fabric with tiny white polka dots, we read the white text "free pattern" and below this, we see the Chelly Wood dot com logo. These texts are next to a photo of a Monster High Draculaura doll modeling a handmade A-line dress with a flared skirt and darts for the bodice. It's a sleeveless dress made of burgundy cotton decorated in swirling vines of a lighter shade of burgundy or maroon. The doll wears velvet boots.
10-inch doll clothes patterns, Daily Patterns, Ever After High Doll Clothes Patterns, Holiday Crafts, Monster High Doll Clothes Patterns, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

How to use old quilt squares for tiny doll clothes @ ChellyWood.com #AmSewing #DollClothesPatterns

For your free pattern and tutorial video, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. Yesterday we talked about how I was able to use a weirdly-shaped scrap of fabric to create a lining for the holiday holly dress that my Ever After High doll was wearing. Along the same lines, today I’m going to share how I used an unwanted quilt square to … Continue reading How to use old quilt squares for tiny doll clothes @ ChellyWood.com #AmSewing #DollClothesPatterns

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The image shows a close-up of a Barbie doll's tummy with a tie-style belt wrapped around her waist. She's wearing a pink bathrobe under the belt. The text says, "DIY Belt" and the whole image plus text is overlaid on top of a purple cotton background with tiny white polka dots. The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in one corner.
Barbie Patterns, Crafts and Hobbies, Creative Spark Online Learning, Daily Patterns, Links, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Crafts, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls

Instructions for Making a Doll’s Belt from Bias Tape @ ChellyWood.com #DIYprojects #DollClothesPatterns

Today’s video offers simple, easy-to-follow instructions for making a doll’s wrap-around tie-style belt to fit Mattel’s Barbie dolls and similar-sized dolls. It’s a follow-up to the pajamas and bathrobe project that you can find when you click here. Here’s an image of that project: As you can see, the bathrobe has pockets! So be sure to click here, to go back and learn how to … Continue reading Instructions for Making a Doll’s Belt from Bias Tape @ ChellyWood.com #DIYprojects #DollClothesPatterns

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